Residence Massacre Night 1 — The Mutant

Night 1 introduces the Mutant — a large, direct attacker who tests whether your afternoon prep was real or cosmetic. This is the night most 190M+ visit players remember: planks snapping, flashlights flickering, and someone yelling about gas cans. Treat Night 1 as a training exam for systems you will reuse on Night 2 and Night 3. If you are brand new, read Getting Started and Controls before loading in.

Night 1 win condition

Survive until the night timer ends without the team wiping. You do not need to kill the Mutant — you need doors, windows, power, and camera intel to outlast it. Coins payout scales with clean clears, so fixing barricades early matters even when victory feels inevitable.

Pre-night checklist (daylight)

Complete these before the sky darkens:

1. Four cameras online — follow Camera Setup for ladder placement and sight lines toward long hall approaches.
2. Priority barricades — front entry, kitchen side window, and piano-room window first; details in Barricades & Generator.
3. Generator fueled — at least one full gas can poured; second can staged nearby.
4. Fuse box default state — flip any tripped breakers during prep; verify lights stay on when cameras activate.
5. Radio on — audio telegraphs the Mutant’s first roar earlier than visual spawns.
6. Flashlights equipped — power dips are gentler on Night 1 but still happen.

Assign roles now: camera caller, hammer main, fuel runner, floater for planks.

Mutant behavior profile

The Mutant is loud and linear. Expect:

• Heavy footsteps on the approach side — radio and ambient audio spike before the model appears.
• Single-target smashes on barricaded doors/windows — it does not elegantly path inside until a breach opens.
• Priority on weak planks — partial repairs draw repeat hits on the same panel.
• Brief retreat after sustained damage to a barricade — use the pause to fully hammer, not half-repair.

Unlike the Night 2 Stalker, the Mutant rarely punishes players standing in open lawns if barricades hold. Do not hero bait — repair windows instead.

Door and window priority order

When daylight is short, barricade in this order:

Order	Location	Why
1	Main front door	First Mutant pathing test
2	Kitchen exterior window	Wide breach angle
3	Piano / living room window	Audio bait during radio events
4	Garage or side hallway door	Secondary flank
5	Interior closet doors	only if extra planks remain

Interior doors are traps for new teams — they split hammer time while the Mutant still targets exterior weak points.

Phase-by-phase timeline

Phase A — First roar (0–25% night)

Mutant patrols exterior. Camera player calls compass direction (“east treeline”). Hammer player pre-positions at main door without over-repairing — one solid plank layer per slot is enough until first hit.

Phase B — First breach attempt (25–50%)

Expect smashes on main door or kitchen window. Floater fetches spare planks while hammer player holds interact repair. Fuel runner checks generator — Mutant phases sometimes dip power when cameras overload.

Phase C — Flank window (50–75%)

Mutant redirects to piano window if main door held. This is where teams without Camera Setup lose — caller must announce flank before planks pop.

Phase D — Final pressure (75–100%)

Double-taps on weakest remaining barricade. Dump second gas can if lights flicker. Everyone with a free hand equips flashlight for interior line-of-sight if a window breaks.

Co-op roles in practice

• Camera caller — only person who narrates Mutant position; avoid hammer unless caller is down.
• Hammer main — lives at the active door; calls “need planks” not “help.”
• Fuel runner — owns generator and fuse box; see Barricades & Generator.
• Floater — planks, ladder rescue, radio toggle if audio glitches.

Solo players: camera check every 20 seconds, hammer between checks, fuel only when lights dip — brutal but teaches timing.

Economy and first-night Coins

First clears award Coins (formerly TIX until August 2026 rename) toward cosmetics and upgrades. Repeat Night 1 twice if teammates are learning — consistency beats rushing Night 3 for payout. No promo codes apply; Codes is empty until Tea Studio drops rewards.

Common Night 1 failures

• Camera player hammering — Mutant enters unnoticed from unmonitored side.
• Split repairs — two half-fixed windows instead of one full fix.
• Generator neglect — fuse trips look like Mutant breaches.
• Ignoring radio — late rotate to flank window.
• PvP habits — PvP was removed January 2026; do not expect duel tools.

After clearing Night 1

1. Re-run cameras with intentional angles from Camera Setup.
2. Study Night 2 before queueing — Stalker punishes sloppy audio.
3. Optional lore: Spirit Helper memory triggers are friendly for second-session players.
4. Track patches on Updates — night modifiers still receive QoL tweaks.

Night 1 is not “easy” — it is readable. Learn the Mutant’s rhythm here so later nights feel like variations, not roulette.